Why “Stardust 'n' Roots?”

In her book, The Geography of Love: A Memoir (Broadway Books, August 2008), Glenda Burgess writes: "Physicists say we are made of stardust. Intergalactic debris and far-flung atoms, shards of carbon nanomatter rounded up by gravity to circle the sun. As atoms pass through an eternal revolving door of possible form, energy and mass dance in fluid relationship. We are stardust, we are [hu]man, we are thought. We are story."

I am fascinated by the process of serendipitous creativity, which many of us name as “God.” That such a process might develop nuclear furnaces to refine the basic known elements is a remarkable story. That this process would continue to evolve over 13.7 billion years to bring about sentient beings with the capacity for self-reflection and story-telling is almost beyond comprehension. In short, it is awesome!

The movement from stardust to story excites, deep within us, a strong desire toward meaning and purpose. And so we ask: Who am I? Where do I come from? What is my destiny? What are my roots? my wings?

So, here I am... what astrophysicist James Gort calls “second generation star material” … looking toward the stars while searching for my roots.... Hence, “Stardust 'n' Roots.”

(Next Post: Organizing My Blog)